The present invention generally relates to the field of tape players in which an azimuth adjustment for a tape head is provided. More particularly, the present invention relates to cartridge tape players having a magnetic tape head which can be adjusted in both vertical and azimuth positions with respect to the chassis of the tape player.
In cartridge-type tape players it is generally necessary to adjust the vertical height of the magnetic tape head with respect to the chassis of the tape player such that the tape head can monitor different recorded tracks on magnetic tape contained in a cartridge. In addition, it is generally necessary to provide some sort of azimuth adjustment for the magnetic tape head such that the active sensing areas on the magnetic tape head can be properly aligned with respect to the recorded tracks on the magnetic tape contained in the cartridge.
A U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,724, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, illustrates a typical vertical positioning mechanism for the tape head in a cartridge tape player wherein the vertical position of the tape head is controlled by the sequential rotation of a multi-surfaced cam. A U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,314 which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention illustrates a prior art azimuth adjusting assembly for a tape head. Typically, prior art azimuth and vertical positioning assemblies for tape heads have been rather complex and costly due to the large number of parts employed. In addition, such assemblies generally utilized a large amount of vertical space. The present invention provides a simplified, inexpensive and thin azimuth and vertical positioning assembly, and therefore represents a significant advance over the prior art magnetic tape head positioning assemblies.